LSU coach Brian Kelly told reporters Monday that starting quarterback Garrett Nussmeier is playing through an injury that causes tightness in his torso.

“He’s been slowed a little bit with a torso injury, and he’s fighting through it, and he’s getting better,” Kelly said at a press conference. “He’s not going to be able to shut it down until the bye week.”

For No. 3 LSU, that won’t happen until the Tigers’ open date on Oct. 4. Following a 20-10 victory over Florida this weekend, LSU is preparing for Southeastern Louisiana, an FCS opponent, followed by its first SEC road game at No. 13 Ole Miss.

Kelly said Nussmeier developed the injury from overworking during fall camp. He said the quarterback is on the “other side” of his recovery and did not make it sound as though LSU will keep him on the shelf for this week’s inferior opponent.

“Come Saturday, he’s good to go,” Kelly said. “We’ve limited him a little bit during the week because of the tightness he’s had in his torso. It’s an upper-body injury, and you want to be careful with how many reps he’s getting throwing the football.”

Nussmeier has thrown for 689 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions with a 65.1 completion percentage through three games this season. Now in his fifth season at LSU, he broke out with a 4,052-yard, 29-touchdown campaign in 2024 after taking over starting duties from Jayden Daniels.

–Field Level Media